The Adoption Roadmap Podcast

Rebecca Gruenspan
  • 5.0 (41)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Biweekly

Your dream is to become a mom. My dream is to help you get there. I am Rebecca Gruenspan, a single mom through domestic adoption and an adoption consultant for over a decade. I’ll be your guide, along with other adoption professionals and members of the adoption constellation, walking you step by step down this beautiful and complex path of adopting your baby. This isn't just another podcast sharing adoption stories. If you're genuinely committed to diving in with an open heart, eager to learn everything there is to know about adopting a baby, this is for you!

  1. 6d ago

    Ep. #149: The Business Side of Adoption Consulting: Pricing, Hiring & Building Trust

    Thirteen years ago, Rebecca called her own adoption consultant and asked if she wanted a business partner. "Call me back in about a year," she said. "I'm not quite ready." Ten minutes later, Rebecca called back: "Then I'm going to be your competitor. Will you help me?" She had no clients, no marketing plan, and a notebook full of business ideas she'd never once acted on. What she had was a newly adopted son, eight people already asking how she'd done it so fast, and a stubborn feeling that nobody should walk this road alone. This episode is a crossover from Behind the Scene with Teah — the business side of RG Adoption Consulting, out loud: what it actually took to build it, why every consultant on the team has to have lived the adoption process themselves, and the year Rebecca finally learned to charge what she's worth. In this episode, Teah Interviews me about: Why Rebecca almost didn't start her own business — she called her own consultant first and asked to be a partner, and got told "not yet"What she actually had going for her at the start: no clients, no marketing plan, a notebook of ideas she'd never acted on — versus a son, eight referrals, and a refusal to let people do this aloneHow she built the business nights and weekends around a fundraising job she was miserable in, then let herself get laid off so unemployment could bridge the gapThe pricing mistake she made for years, undercharging because she felt "not senior enough," and what changed after a coach told her to charge $10,000 for a package she was sure nobody would buyWhy every consultant on her team has personally adopted or gone through the process themselves, and the one experience working with a non-adoptive consultant that convinced her this had to be a hard ruleThe scariest hire she ever made, why her first real employee was paid on commission, and what finally, after 13 years, made her feel like she had the right team in placeHer advice to the version of herself just starting out A reminder from RG Adoption Consulting If you're seriously considering adoption, you don't have to figure this out alone. Rebecca and her team guide hopeful families through every step using their proven four-step roadmap. In 2025, 62% of their families brought their baby home within 12 months. Book a complimentary adoption strategy session at rgadoptionconsulting.com.

    Ep. #149: The Business Side of Adoption Consulting: Pricing, Hiring & Building Trust

  2. Sep 2

    Ep. #148: Open Adoption, Birth Parents, and Building a Family | Susan Strong

    There’s a difference between choosing adoption… and choosing to embrace everything that comes with it. When Susan Strong’s first round of IVF failed, she didn’t know it would become the beginning of a completely different life. Thirty-four years later, she’s the adoptive mom of two daughters, has lifelong relationships with four birth parents, and has built an open adoption story she never could have planned for. In this honest and deeply moving conversation, Susan shares what she’s learned about choosing curiosity over fear, trusting your instincts, and building open adoption relationships without a roadmap. From meeting her first birth mother and being asked to adopt her baby after just 15 minutes, to navigating a second adoption with a teenage birth mother, to watching her daughters grow into their own relationships with their birth families, Susan offers a perspective shaped by decades of experience, unexpected loss, and a whole lot of saying yes. In this episode, we talk about: How Susan’s failed IVF cycle became the unexpected beginning of her adoption journeyThe adoptee’s story that changed Susan’s mind about closed adoption and led her to choose opennessWhat Susan learned about choosing curiosity over fear when the path ahead feels uncertainHow Susan met her first birth mother, Carmen, and why Carmen asked her to adopt her baby just 15 minutes after meetingThe three things Susan believes make open adoption work: choice, trust, and commitmentWhy open adoption doesn’t come with a roadmap—and the lifelong work required to maintain those relationshipsWhat Susan learned from her daughters about attachment, identity, grief, and the experience of carrying two family storiesThe advice Susan would give hopeful adoptive parents about trusting their instincts, being honest about what they can handle, and taking the leap together About Susan: Susan Strong is the author of One Yes At A Time: How Open Adoption Transformed Our Family, a book about her family's 34-year journey through open adoption. After an unsuccessful IVF experience, Susan and her husband, Bob, chose adoption and went on to adopt two daughters, Olivia and Caitlin. What began with two independent adoption journeys grew into lifelong relationships with four birth parents and an extended network of birth family. Susan writes about adoption on Substack and continues to share what she's learned about openness, curiosity, loss, identity, and the relationships that make adoption what it is. Connect with Susan: One Yes At A Time: https://www.susanstrongauthor.com/product-page/the-open-adoption-guidebook-1 Website: https://www.susanstrongauthor.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanstrongauthor RG Adoption Consulting Do you have an adoption "Kismet Moment" you'd like to share? Tell us the story here to be apart of my upcoming podcast episode! https://form.jotform.com/261976309097066 Website → ⁠⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠ Book a Complimentary Adoption Strategy Session → ⁠⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com/contact⁠ Get your personalized Adoption Roadmap - https://www.rgadoptionconsulting.com/roadmap-quiz Our Chosen Child - Use code ROADMAP for $100 off the Social Media Plan + Post Program.→ https://ourchosenchild.com Tune in to The Adoption Roadmap Podcast every Wednesday. If you like what you hear, I'd appreciate a follow and 5-star rating & review! THANK YOU! For questions about adoption, episode suggestions, or to appear as a guest on The Adoption Roadmap Podcast, email⁠⁠⁠⁠ support@rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠

    Ep. #148: Open Adoption, Birth Parents, and Building a Family | Susan Strong

  3. Aug 26

    Ep. #147: Prenatal Opioid Exposure in Adoption: What the Research Actually Shows | Theresa Harmon

    At three years old, mid-meltdown, Theresa Harmon's son looked up at her and said: "I wanna calm down, Mommy, but I don't know how." She's a social worker. She spent years in child welfare before she became a mom. She was still lost. Doctors told her what they tell every family: "He'll go through withdrawal, and then he'll be fine." Teresa has spent the last decade fighting that myth. This episode gets honest about what opioid exposure actually means, not the terrifying Google version, not the everything's-fine-after-the-NICU version, but the truth that lives in between. In this episode: What actually counts as an opioid and why fentanyl exposure specifically tends to show up as more severe hyperactivity, inattention, and sleep troubleThe myth Teresa's spent a decade fighting: "he'll go through withdrawal, and then he'll be fine" — and why the neonatologists repeating it never actually go home with these kidsWhy the "no lasting effects" story and the "everything is ruined" story are both wrongThe two most common diagnoses beyond NAS/NOWSThe hospital protocol that's replaced older withdrawal scoring, and the swaddling, dim lighting, skin-to-skin, and breastfeeding tools that help at homeWhat to actually ask a pediatrician before trusting them with your child's history and why "I've worked with adopted kids before" tells you nothingTeresa's own son at three, mid-meltdown, telling her he wanted to calm down and didn't know how — and what she's learned about that moment in the decade since About Theresa: Teresa Harmon is a social worker turned psychiatric nurse practitioner specializing in kids in foster care and adoption who have prenatal opioid exposure. After her oldest son was born opioid-dependent and she couldn't find the support she needed, she founded To The Moon and Back, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit now in its 10th year, serving families nationally through case management, support groups, provider education, and published research with Child Trends. She's an adoptive mom of three, ages 13, 8, and 2. Connect with Theresa: To The Moon & Back: tothemoonandback.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tothemoonma Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ToTheMoonMA/ Beyond NAS Private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/beyondnas Research mentioned: - TTMAB's 2 published studies (Theresa to send links) - Dr. Jonathan Davis, Tufts Newborn Medicine — created the alcohol-free methadone formulation for NAS weaning; POE/development research (Theresa to send) - Child Trends (Bethesda, MD) — TTMAB research partner - Eat Sleep Console (ESC) — hospital assessment + sensory-based comfort approach for NAS babies - Kennedy Donovan Center — early intervention (Theresa's rapid-fire shout-out) - Perkins School for the Blind — flagging high rates of Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) in POE kids - MA legislation: automatic early-intervention eligibility bill (Theresa to send status/action link) RG Adoption Consulting Do you have an adoption "Kismet Moment" you'd like to share? Tell us the story here to be apart of my upcoming podcast episode! https://form.jotform.com/261976309097066 Website → ⁠⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠ ⁠ Book a Complimentary Adoption Strategy Session → ⁠⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com/contact⁠ The Adoption Roadmap: The Four-Step Process To Adopting Your Baby In Less Than A Year → Buy Here on Amazon Before you choose an agency, spend money, or move forward—start with these 10 honest conversations that will help you: ⁠https://www.rgadoptionconsulting.com/10-conversations-before-you-adopt⁠   Tune in to The Adoption Roadmap Podcast every Wednesday. If you like what you hear, I'd appreciate a follow and 5-star rating & review! THANK YOU! For questions about adoption, episode suggestions, or to appear as a guest on The Adoption Roadmap Podcast, email⁠⁠⁠⁠ support@rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠

    Ep. #147: Prenatal Opioid Exposure in Adoption: What the Research Actually Shows | Theresa Harmon

  4. Aug 19

    Ep. #146: Your Kids Don't Have to Give You Friday Night Anymore | Keli Tondre

    Adoptive parent shame, why adopted kids lie, and what co-regulation actually looks like mid-meltdown — trauma therapist and adoptive mom Keli Tondre gets specific. Last weekend, Keli's19- and 18-year-old spent Friday and Saturday night with her at a music festival — by choice. She doesn't have all the answers. But as a trauma therapist, an adoptive sibling, and an adoptive mom of three, she's got more than most of us. Her brother was three when he was adopted into her family. For years, she feared someone would take him away — and told no one. Decades later he said, "I won the lottery when I landed in this family." Now she knows what he lost first. Two adoptions. One Christmas that went way too far. One sentence from a therapist that ended years of shame. You'll know it when you hear it. About Keli Tondre Keli Tondre is a trauma therapist and the founder of Tondre Therapeutics, where her entire practice is built around adoptive and foster parents living in survival mode. She's also an adoptive sibling — her parents adopted her older sister, then adopted her younger brother when Keli was almost two — and an adoptive mom of three: a biological daughter, a son adopted domestically, and a daughter adopted from Ethiopia at age four. She works virtually with clients across the U.S. and Canada. https://tondre.org In this episode, we cover: What Keli understood about adoption as a kid — and what only made sense years later, once she was a therapist and an adoptive mom herselfHow her domestic and international adoption journeys asked different things of herWhy "do your own work first" doesn't mean attachment struggles are proof you failedHow to respond to lying differently than you were raised to — and what to say instead of "you're lying to me"What co-dysregulation is, and how to find your way back to curiosity when your kid has blown up the roomWhy adoptive parent shame is a different animal than ordinary mom guiltWhat Keli's biological daughter needed that she didn't see until years laterWhy "love isn't enough" — and what to hold onto instead This episode is brought to you by Our Chosen Child Are you growing your family through adoption and doing your outreach independently? Our Chosen Child is an adoption marketing agency helping hopeful parents connect with expectant parents authentically and confidently. Their Social Media Plan and Post Program gives you six months of ready-to-go, easy-to-personalize posts for Instagram and Facebook — no tech skills required. Visit ourchosenchild.com and use code ROADMAP for $100 off your Social Media Plan and Post Program. Do you have an adoption "Kismet Moment" you'd like to share? Tell us the story here to be apart of my upcoming podcast episode! https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/BNfyVlIUm5b Website → ⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠  Book a Complimentary Adoption Strategy Session → ⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com/contact Are You Ready to Adopt? Take the Quiz to Find Out → https://www.rgadoptionconsulting.com/quiz Tune in to The Adoption Roadmap Podcast every Wednesday. If you like what you hear, I'd appreciate a follow and 5-star rating & review! THANK YOU! For questions about adoption, episode suggestions or to appear as a guest on The Adoption Roadmap Podcast, email⁠⁠⁠⁠ support@rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠ Resources mentioned: Polyvagal Institute: https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org

    Ep. #146: Your Kids Don't Have to Give You Friday Night Anymore | Keli Tondre

  5. Aug 12

    Ep. #145: The Adoption Roadmap, Step 2: How to Create an Adoption Profile That Makes Expectant Moms Stop and Read

    Most hopeful adoptive parents think creating an adoption profile is about showcasing their accomplishments, beautiful photos, or writing the perfect story. In reality, the most successful adoption profiles aren't about impressing anyone. They're about helping an expectant mother picture her child growing up in your family. In this episode, Rebecca walks through the second step of the Adoption Roadmap and shares exactly what makes an adoption profile stand out. From choosing the right photos and writing authentic copy to avoiding common mistakes that unintentionally push expectant mothers away, she breaks down every section of the profile and explains why each detail matters. You'll learn how to create a profile that feels genuine, tells your family's story with warmth, and gives an expectant mother the confidence to imagine her baby growing up surrounded by love. What We Cover: Why your adoption profile is the most important tool in your adoption journeyHow to write a profile that connects instead of trying to impressThe biggest mistakes families make with photos and wordingWhat every section of your adoption profile should includeHow to help an expectant mother envision her child in your familyThe language and phrases to avoid in your profileWhy authenticity always matters more than perfectionHow thoughtful design, great photos, and even video can strengthen your profile RG Adoption Consulting Do you have an adoption "Kismet Moment" you'd like to share? Tell us the story here to be apart of my upcoming podcast episode! https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/BNfyVlIUm5b Website → ⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠  Book a Complimentary Adoption Strategy Session → ⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com/contact Are You Ready to Adopt? Take the Quiz to Find Out → https://www.rgadoptionconsulting.com/quiz   Tune in to The Adoption Roadmap Podcast every Wednesday. If you like what you hear, I'd appreciate a follow and 5-star rating & review! THANK YOU! For questions about adoption, episode suggestions or to appear as a guest on The Adoption Roadmap Podcast, email⁠⁠⁠⁠ support@rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠

  6. Aug 5

    Ep. #144: Is Adoption Beautiful? | Janelle Basham

    Some of the most important lessons about adoption don't come from adoptive parents. They come from the people who made adoption possible in the first place. When Janelle Basham placed her daughter for adoption 32 years ago, she wasn't in the hospital. She wasn't holding her baby as she said goodbye. She was sitting on a blue couch in another state, watching TV, while another family welcomed her daughter home. Now, more than three decades later, Janelle has something few people in adoption have: hindsight. As a birth mom, adoption educator, and Executive Director of BraveLove, she's spent years helping families understand what birth mothers are really experiencing—and what hopeful adoptive parents need to know if they want to build relationships rooted in trust, respect, and healing. This conversation challenges common assumptions about adoption, explores the power of consistent open adoption relationships, and offers practical wisdom that can change not just one family's story—but generations to come. In this episode, we talk about: What birth moms wish hopeful adoptive parents understood before a match ever happensWhy consistency after placement matters more than grand promises before itThe truth about open adoption, broken agreements, and rebuilding trustHow language shapes the way birth moms—and adopted children—experience adoptionWhat ethical adoption really looks like from a birth mother's perspectiveWhy healthy adoption relationships aren't built overnight—but can become generational About Janelle Basham: Janelle Basham is a birth mom, adoption educator, speaker, and the Executive Director of BraveLove, a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the perception of adoption through education, storytelling, and support for birth mothers. After placing her daughter for adoption more than 32 years ago, Janelle has devoted her career to advocating for ethical adoption practices, empowering birth moms, and helping adoptive families build healthier, more compassionate relationships. Through BraveLove, she provides resources, community, and education that center the voices and experiences of birth mothers while promoting openness, respect, and lifelong connection. Do you have an adoption "Kismet Moment" you'd like to share? Tell us the story here to be apart of my upcoming podcast episode! https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/BNfyVlIUm5b Connect with Janelle: Website: https://www.bravelove.org/ Family Life Services: https://www.familylifeservices.org/ If you liked this episode check out: Episode 77 | what Birth Moms Wish You Knew with Jessie Mattos on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/4sz5RqcGJxWD3LXZ2UeYrC?si=8908629d122f4e12 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-adoption-roadmap-podcast/id1747000048?i=1000701880720 RG Adoption Consulting Website → ⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠  Book a Complimentary Adoption Strategy Session → ⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com/contact Are You Ready to Adopt? Take the Quiz to Find Out → https://www.rgadoptionconsulting.com/quiz Before you choose an agency, spend money, or move forward—start with these 10 honest conversations that will help you: https://www.rgadoptionconsulting.com/10-conversations-before-you-adopt   Tune in to The Adoption Roadmap Podcast every Wednesday. If you like what you hear, I'd appreciate a follow, a 5-star rating & review! THANK YOU! For questions about adoption, episode suggestions, or to appear as a guest on The Adoption Roadmap Podcast, email⁠⁠⁠⁠ support@rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠

    Ep. #144: Is Adoption Beautiful? | Janelle Basham

  7. Jul 29

    Ep. #143: The Emotional Work Before Adoption | Julie Fried

    There’s a difference between preparing for adoption… and preparing yourself to become a parent. When systems strategist, podcaster, and adoptive mom Julie Fried began her adoption journey, she thought she could research her way through it. Spreadsheets, Facebook groups, Google searches—she approached adoption like any other complex project. But what she discovered was that the biggest work wasn’t logistical. It was emotional. In this honest and deeply thoughtful conversation, Julie shares the lessons she learned about grief, open adoption, slowing down, and making peace with a path that looked different than the one she had imagined. From pausing after her home study to process infertility, to navigating an unexpected NICU experience, to making one of the hardest decisions her family has ever faced, Julie offers wisdom that every hopeful adoptive parent needs to hear. In this episode, we talk about: Why researching more isn't always the same as moving forward in your adoption journeyThe emotional work every hopeful adoptive parent should do before becoming a parentHow grief and adoption can coexist—and why processing one strengthens the otherWhat Julie learned after shifting from "no" to embracing the possibilities of open adoptionHow a NICU stay became an unexpected gift during the transition into parenthoodThe heartbreaking decision to decline adopting her daughter's half-sibling—and how they made peace with it About Julie Fried: Julie Fried is the host of The System for Everything podcast, where she shares practical systems that simplify business, motherhood, and everyday life. A systems strategist by profession and adoptive mom to her daughter Ellie, Julie brings honesty, empathy, and thoughtful perspective to conversations about adoption, infertility, and parenting. Through her own journey, she has become a passionate advocate for slowing down, processing grief, and embracing adoption with openness and intention. Connect with Julie: Website: https://dallasgirlfriday.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesystemforeverything?utm_source=chatgpt.com Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-system-for-everything/id1818831243 RG Adoption Consulting Website → ⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠  Book a Complimentary Adoption Strategy Session → ⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com/contact Are You Ready to Adopt? Take the Quiz to Find Out → https://www.rgadoptionconsulting.com/quiz Before you choose an agency, spend money, or move forward—start with these 10 honest conversations that will help you: https://www.rgadoptionconsulting.com/10-conversations-before-you-adopt   Tune in to The Adoption Roadmap Podcast every Wednesday. If you like what you hear, I'd appreciate a follow, a 5-star rating & review! THANK YOU! For questions about adoption, episode suggestions, or to appear as a guest on The Adoption Roadmap Podcast, email⁠⁠⁠⁠ support@rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠

    Ep. #143: The Emotional Work Before Adoption | Julie Fried

  8. Jul 22

    Ep. #142: Birth Mom & Adoptive Mom Together: The Reality of Open Adoption with Lindsay McKenzie & Hali

    Building an open adoption relationship isn't about having the perfect plan. It's about choosing honesty, trust, and putting the child at the center...again and again. In this deeply moving conversation, Rebecca sits down with adoptive mom Lindsay McKenzie and birth mom Hali to share what open adoption has actually looked like for them over the past six years. Together, they pull back the curtain on the fears, insecurities, boundaries, and beautiful moments that have shaped their relationship—and why openness isn't something you schedule, it's something you build. From meeting for the very first time to navigating difficult conversations, milestones, and the questions their son is beginning to ask, Lindsay and Hali offer an honest, hopeful look at what happens when two mothers choose to work together with love, respect, and one shared priority: their child. Whether you're considering adoption, preparing to meet an expectant parent, or already navigating an open adoption relationship, this episode is filled with wisdom that will stay with you long after it ends. In this episode, we talk about: What hopeful adoptive parents are really afraid of before meeting an expectant mom—and what helps those fears fadeWhat open adoption actually looks like years later (and why it doesn't require rigid rules or schedules)How trust is built through honest conversations, healthy boundaries, and mutual respectWhy letting your child lead conversations about their adoption story creates confidence instead of confusionThe language that strengthens connection—and the phrases both adoptive and birth parents wish people would stop usingPractical advice for anyone preparing to build an open adoption relationship rooted in authenticity, vulnerability, and love About Lindsay McKenzie & Hali: Lindsay McKenzie is an adoptive mother, adoption advocate, and adoption strategist with RG Adoption Consulting. After navigating infertility and her own adoption journey, she now helps hopeful adoptive families prepare for the emotional, practical, and relational realities of adoption. Lindsay is also the author of The Story of You, a children's book created to help adopted children grow up knowing and celebrating their unique story from the very beginning. Hali is Miles' birth mother and a passionate advocate for openness, honesty, and child-centered adoption. Through her relationship with Lindsay and their shared commitment to keeping Miles at the heart of every decision, she is helping reshape what open adoption can look like. Together, Lindsay and Hali are committed to showing families that healthy, respectful relationships between adoptive and birth parents are not only possible—they can become one of adoption's greatest gifts. RG Adoption Consulting Website → ⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠  Book a Complimentary Adoption Strategy Session → ⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com/contact Are You Ready to Adopt? Take the Quiz to Find Out → https://www.rgadoptionconsulting.com/quiz Before you choose an agency, spend money, or move forward—start with these 10 honest conversations that will help you: https://www.rgadoptionconsulting.com/10-conversations-before-you-adopt Tune in to The Adoption Roadmap Podcast every Wednesday. If you like what you hear, I'd appreciate a follow, a 5-star rating & review! THANK YOU! For questions about adoption, episode suggestions, or to appear as a guest on The Adoption Roadmap Podcast, email⁠⁠⁠⁠ support@rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠

    Ep. #142: Birth Mom & Adoptive Mom Together: The Reality of Open Adoption with Lindsay McKenzie & Hali
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About

Your dream is to become a mom. My dream is to help you get there. I am Rebecca Gruenspan, a single mom through domestic adoption and an adoption consultant for over a decade. I’ll be your guide, along with other adoption professionals and members of the adoption constellation, walking you step by step down this beautiful and complex path of adopting your baby. This isn't just another podcast sharing adoption stories. If you're genuinely committed to diving in with an open heart, eager to learn everything there is to know about adopting a baby, this is for you!

Information

  • Creator
    Rebecca Gruenspan
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    148
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Rebecca Gruenspan
  • Show Website
    The Adoption Roadmap Podcast